Estate Planning / Trusts & Wills / Probate Administration
Texas Estate Planning AttorneysErwin Davenport, Frank Gibson, John Rosentreter, Barbara Gibson Clients can control the allocation of accumulated assets both before and after death through careful planning for the distribution of property to family members. We deal with the complex network of laws governing gifts, estates and trusts and we use that knowledge to help clients fulfill their short and long-term goals. Available areas of representation include:
For clients interested in maintaining management and control of their estate, protecting family members, ensuring their financial privacy, and obtaining peace of mind, we offer basic estate plans which may include traditional will planning or in appropriate cases revocable living trusts with pour over wills. We also provide planning regarding advanced directives including, powers of attorney for property management, and advance health care directives. GHRD law firm also provides advice and planning for the needs of children and grandchildren including gift trusts, generation skipping trusts, and plans to insure future education and support needs. Contact our Texas estate planning attorneys today to discuss your estate planning needs. Reduce Estate TaxesFor clients interested in minimizing the impact of transfer taxes on their estate, we offer routine estate tax savings and asset protection strategies, such as credit shelter trusts and qualified terminal interest property (QTIP) trusts, and more sophisticated transfer tax savings and asset protection strategies, including the use of family limited partnerships, family limited liability companies, buy-sell agreements, qualified personal residence trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, dynasty trusts, defective grantor trusts, and grantor retained income trusts, among others. Asset Protection PlaningAsset protection planning involves techniques that have the effect of placing assets beyond the reach of unknown future creditors to the extent legally and ethically possible. Legitimate asset protection planning does not involve hiding assets, using secret agreements or making fraudulent transfers. Neither does it involve tax evasion or, necessarily, tax avoidance, although some asset protection plans can be combined with estate and gift tax planning to produce favorable tax results. Asset protection planning combines sophisticated and legitimate business planning and estate planning techniques. Elder LawElder Law is a distinct legal field which concentrates on the legal, financial, social, and health care needs of one specific sector of society: the elderly. It is a law practice that is built on compassion, care, and concern for the older client. As we get older, many of us are faced with difficult and important decisions regarding our healthcare and our financial well-being. The firm's lawyers can help you plan for both the present and the future through the use of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, and health care directives. The firm’s lawyers are experienced dealing with Medicaid and health care planning, guardianships, and other concerns that are unique to the elderly. The firm's lawyers can also assist with nursing home admissions that will cause the least amount of financial burden to the estate. Estate AdministrationProbate is the legal process by which a person's will is allowed by the Probate Court. Estate administration involves the administration of a decedent's estate either with or without a will. The firm assists clients in proper planning to minimize the cost and complexity of the probate and administration process. The provisions of the will or state law dictate how the individual's debts are paid and assets are distributed upon death. Estate Administration includes the probate process as well as non-probate transfers of the deceased's assets, such as life insurance, annuities, qualified plans, and trust assets and compliance with applicable estate tax requirements. our estate administration lawyers counsel and assist the personal representative of the estate in the gathering, valuation, accounting and distribution of the decedent's assets, and in making the myriad of tax and other decisions faced by the personal representative. We prepare or review federal and state estate and inheritance tax returns as well as the appropriate documents in order to release liens on a decedent's real estate. GHRD is available to represent the personal representative in any audit of the decedent's estate tax return. It is the firm's responsibility to assure that all steps are properly taken in order to carry out the decedent's intent in accordance with the law in the most efficient and cost effective manner available. Estate LitigationThe firm represents both personal representatives and trustees as well as beneficiaries in all aspects of trust and probate litigation including will contests, will construction, determination of heirship, breach of fiduciary duty, trust and estate accountings, surcharge actions, and trust construction, modification and termination actions. Our estate planning lawyers often serve in the role of consulting or testifying experts in probate and trust litigation matters. Trust AdministrationThe firm represents individual and corporate trustees and beneficiaries not only in litigation but in the role of counsel. The firm serves as counsel to corporate trustees in matters involving the administration of trusts including opinions on trust matters and the proper administration and distribution of trust assets.
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